Parkland school shooting verdict: Count 2 in penalty phase is Martin Duque

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer announced on Oct. 13 that a divided jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole as punishment for the Parkland school shooter on count two of first-degree murder.

Count two of 17 in the penalty phase is for the murder of Martin Duque who Nikolas Cruz killed on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to Scherer.

Martin, 14, was a freshman. He was standing outside of classroom 1215 when he was shot eight times and died of his wounds, according to Chief Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz.

Aside from the fatal wounds to the head, torso, and chest, Dr. Iouri Boiko, who performed Martin’s autopsy, said in court that the teenage boy also suffered defensive wounds on his hands and arms.

Coral Springs Fire Rescue four pronounced Duque dead in an ambulance, records show.

Martin, a Mexican-American, was a dedicated member of his school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and he dreamed of becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL.

Interactive graphic: Understanding the choices jurors made on the verdict form

Victim impact statement

Interactive graphic on the penalty phase


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.